Substitute School, Second Semester
by Zero-Sennin
Summary: School is back in session, and war looms on the horizon. The lessons will be tough, and the combat even rougher, but as the Arrancar rise up from Hueco Mundo to challenge Soul Society, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends aim to be the top students of the class and defend what they love. Part 2 of 2/3. Sequel to "Substitute School, First Semester". AU (but *not* a high-school AU).
1. First Semester Review Class

_Review Session: The Story So Far_

Ichigo Kurosaki, age 15, is a resident of Karakura Town—a tall young man with strawberry-blonde hair, a tough scowl, and the ability to see ghosts and other spirits.

On one otherwise ordinary June night, he crosses paths with a diminutive woman by the name of Rukia Kuchiki, a type of spirit known as a Soul Reaper. When Rukia is then injured by a wild, soul-eating spirit called a Hollow after attempting to keep it from attacking Ichigo's family, Ichigo takes a portion of Rukia's powers to become a Soul Reaper himself and cut the Hollow down.

From here, the wheels of fate spin.

With her powers only partially drained, Rukia returns to Soul Society, the world of dead, non-Hollow spirits, after calling in assistance to conceal the damage done to Ichigo's home. Her report on the incident spurs the Soul Reapers' Gotei 13, their governing body and the military arm of the Soul Society, into action. Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of the Sixth Division and his lieutenant Renji Abarai are sent to Karakura to bring Ichigo before the Central 46, the lawmakers of Soul Society. Normally, giving giving powers to a human is a crime amongst Soul Reapers. However, the Central 46, recognizing the nature of the situation and acknowledging Ichigo's immense potential through Captain-General Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Second Division Captain Soifon, sentence Ichigo to a form of "community service": he is to serve as a Soul Reaper for the remainder of his human life and the spiritual life that he lives afterward.

With Rukia as his direct supervisor, Ichigo is put through his paces, learning the ins and outs of becoming a real Soul Reaper. Along the way, he faces multiple challenges. His friends Orihime Inoue, Yasutora "Chad" Sado, and Tatsuki Arisawa are all menaced by Hollows. He's put through his paces in the four disciplines of Soul Reaper combat—learning the magic of Kidou from Captain Sousuke Aizen of the Fifth Division and Lieutenant Nanao Ise of the Eighth Division, the unarmed combat of Hakuda and high-speed Hohou movement from Captain Soifon, and a crash-course in Zanjutsu swordsmanship with Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and the members of the Eleventh Division. Eventually, he's forced to face off against the Hollow that killed his mother, and though he nearly dies in the process, he finally accesses his own power as a Soul Reaper, and obtains the name of his zanpakutou, the sword that symbolizes a Soul Reaper—Zangetsu (Slaying Moon).

The biggest challenge Ichigo faces, though, comes in the form of Uryuu Ishida, Ichigo's classmate and the last member of the spiritual warrior-monks known as the Quincy. Bearing a grudge against Soul Reapers because of their inaction and its personal effects on his life, Uryuu summons a horde of Hollows to Karakura with the use of special bait, intending to prove himself Ichigo's better by vanquishing all of them. With the help of the Gotei 13, the regular Hollows are repelled, and it is through the efforts of Fifth Division Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, Rukia, and Ichigo himself that the most dangerous Hollow that is pulled to Karakura Town, a gigantic Menos Grande, is purified.

In the process, Orihime, Chad, and Tatsuki all awaken to their own spiritual powers, which along with Uryuu's are all sealed away by the Soul Reapers in order to avoid any more undue influence on the living world. However, they are approached by the mysterious, spiritually-aware shopkeeper Kisuke Urahara, and with his guidance they manage to refine and master their powers enough to access them in spite of their restraints.

Things take a dangerous and dramatic turn for the worse in Soul Society, though, as after Ichigo proves his growth in a spectacular duel against Captain Kuchiki, Third Division Captain Gin Ichimaru murders Captain Aizen and grievously injures Lieutenant Hinamori. The fallout from the resulting manhunt causes the defection of another captain, Eighth Division's Kaname Tousen. On top of this, the Central 46 orders the Gotei 13 to capture Urahara and bring him to Soul Society. During the resulting confrontation, he reveals that Aizen, Tousen, and Ichimaru have played all of Soul Society for fools—the three of them have been colluding to fulfill some dark purpose, and Aizen's death was all part of the ploy.

The truth behind that ploy is revealed by none other than Ichimaru himself, in a letter written to the remaining captains. He states that Aizen has use of a mysterious artifact called the Hougyoku, which can be used to break the barrier between Soul Reapers and Hollows. To prove this, he leaves behind a video that shows Aizen using the Hougyoku to create a Hollow with Soul Reaper-like powers, an Arrancar.

Though suspicious of his motives, the Gotei 13 acknowledges that they have no other options but to try and prepare as if his information is accurate. With the end of the summer approaching, Ichigo is due to return to school soon, but he must do so with the knowledge that a war is on the horizon.


	2. Returners' Ceremony

_Substitute School, Second Semester: Core Classes_

 _A Bleach Fanfiction_

 _Written by Zero-Sennin_

* * *

 _Lesson 1: Returners' Ceremony, or Back to School Daze_

* * *

 **Monday, September 9, 4:00 PM**

 **Karakura Town, Mitsumiya: Urahara Shop**

Mondays around the Urahara Shop tended to be uneventful in the early parts of fall and the spring, since most students were getting back into the swing of classes and weren't interested in stopping to get candy or soda. Instead, they were heading home with new assignments to do, or to meet up with friends and go out for some fun.

To be honest, that suited Kisuke Urahara and the shop's other inhabitants just fine. They had more important things to do than sell cheap drinks and cheaper sugar treats, appearances be damned.

The shop's assistant manager, Tessai Tsukabishi, stood at the register, his tall, muscular and imposing frame letting him survey everything in the store without trouble. Jinta Hanakari, one of the two ten-year-old shop assistants, wove back and forth between the "aisles", taking stock of what was on the shelves and what needed to be ordered from the distributors.

And far below where those two worked, in a large room with a rocky floor, under a sky painted the bluest of blues with what appeared to be real clouds hanging overhead, a group of teenagers were in the middle of what might pass for combat training.

The key words here were "what might pass for", mostly because the primary vehicle of training was "beat up on your partner until they give up".

A cloud of brown dust shot into the air as a young man with orange-auburn hair got knocked into one of the many giant rocks littering the training ground, groaning in pain. His short, brown-skinned partner clutched a black tonfa with silver trim and gold tips, bouncing lightly from foot to foot as she grinned at her handiwork. She wore a black, sleeveless bodysuit with baggy, off-white arm warmers, leg-warmers, and collar; her long purple hair was tied off in a ponytail, and her golden-colored eyes focused sharply on where the young man landed.

She was named Yoruichi Shihouin, the "Goddess of Flash", a former Soul Reaper with skills in close combat that were almost unrivaled in all of Soul Society.

"Come on, Ichigo," she said to the young man, shaking her head. "I barely even hit you that time. Souboukon's calling you a wimp."

Three seconds later, a blue-and-white arc of Spiritual Energy ripped through the air, originating from the rock that Yoruichi knocked Ichigo into. Chuckling, she side-stepped the attack without even blinking; to her, it was moving in ridiculously slow motion. As she expected, Ichigo Kurosaki burst right out of the still-dissolving cloud of dust that he'd kicked up when he hit the rock. Dust flew from his clothing—a black robe with white robes beneath them, a billowing, black _hakama_ bottom, split-toed socks, and straw sandals—as a gust of wind howled around them. In one hand, he held a large, cleaver-like blade with a sharp point and a curved edge. Being such a 'crude' sword, it had no cross-guard, and a ragged cloth was tied around the handle, with enough left over to flap in the breeze. The other hand was drawn back, fingers spread—and in the center of his palm was a red, glowing sphere.

"Hadou 31, Red Flame Cannon!" he shouted, thrusting the sphere toward Yoruichi. A torrent of blazing red energy burst from the sphere and slammed into the ground where she'd been standing, and Ichigo's eyes automatically snapped up to the sky. He'd sensed her gather her Spiritual Energy, convert it into Spiritual Pressure, and jump upward in a burst of Flash Steps. The turnaround time was impressive, but it meant that she was in a prime position to counterattack since his Kidou spell had just missed—and she was doing just that, diving at him with her weapon hand pulled back for a powerful punch.

Ichigo slammed his free hand onto his sword, Zangetsu, and compressed Spiritual Energy into it, then jumped up to intercept her. He felt his weapon buzz with power, and knowing that his attack was ready, he removed his right hand from the handle and held it just above his head, right as Yoruichi spun the tonfa and struck down with the long end pointing away from her hand. The wood smacked into Ichigo's right palm and sent a burning rush through his arm, but he ignored it and quickly vented a burst of Spiritual Pressure out of the right side of his body. He immediately shifted out of Yoruichi's way, disappearing with the same Flash Steps she'd used to evade his spell earlier, but didn't go nearly as far, only two or three feet away.

He concentrated, and instead of falling out of the sky, stood on the air as if he was on solid ground. With a shout, he jumped forward and swung his sword upward, managing to tag Yoruichi's arm before she could Flash Step away, then grabbed the handle with both hands again and swung down with all his might, letting the Spiritual Pressure he'd stored in the sword break loose. "Getsuga Hazan!"

His blade glowed for a split second before releasing a large burst of energy, the same color as the blue-white arc that he had fired at Yoruichi earlier, and the explosion caused by the collision was enough to create another cloud of dust.

* * *

Elsewhere in the training room, two wiry young men were staring at each other with hard determination in their eyes. One was black-haired Uryuu Ishida, wearing a white, blue-trimmed outfit with a cross-shaped zipper track. His right hand clutched a solid white bow about four feet in length, with a gun-metal gray string. His left hand was empty, but blue sparks of Spiritual Pressure danced between his finger tips. As he looked up, his square-framed glasses shone ominously.

Uryuu's training partner, Kaitou "Kai" Kondou, stood on a rock, giving ample positioning for him to stare down at Uryuu. His camouflage-patterned cargo pants and sleeveless green shirt exposed solid musculature that Uryuu didn't have, and he was wearing black, steel-toed combat boots. His hair was a sandy brown color, and in contrast to Uryuu's short-cut bob, the rest of it was tied into a loose ponytail that trailed down his back. Both he and Uryuu were panting lightly, causing their shoulders to rise and fall with each breath, and their clothes and skin were marred with dirt, light cuts, and thin streaks of blood. Though their fight hadn't been as explosive as Ichigo and Yoruichi's—mostly because, unlike those two, they were using flesh-and-blood bodies—they hadn't given each other any quarter.

Three other figures stood by, watching Kai and Uryuu stare at each other. The first was Orihime Inoue, a girl of average height with long hair similar in color to Ichigo's, dressed in a white turtleneck that gently complimented her curves and bust, and blue jeans. The second was a tall, tan, and muscular young man named Yasutora Sado, called Chad by his friends. His dark shaggy hair covered his eyes, and he wore a simple black T-shirt with an intricate pattern of green vines and red roses on the back, and matching dark slacks. The last was a thin slip of a girl, Ururu Tsumugiya, who had her hands clasped together as her large blue eyes darted between Kai and Uryuu. A long strand of black hair hung between her eyes, splitting into two parts at the middle, and a slight gust of wind caused her pigtails, white T-shirt, and blue shorts to ripple, distorting the kanji for "Urahara Shop" that were written on her top in pink.

"IYou may dress like a reject from Catholic school, but that bow of yours is pretty accurate, Ishida," Kai said, breaking the silence and leaning down to smack his legs. The dull _thwap_ of his hands slapping against his pants only made Uryuu's eyes narrow further. "And you've been getting faster since I started kicking rocks at you. I guess maybe that Hirenkyaku thing you like to brag about isn't so crappy after all."

"That's your own fault for underestimating a Quincy," Uryuu replied with a smirk, clenching his bow tighter. "Especially the only one that managed to learn how to fight without Spiritual Particles."

Kai snorted and straightened up, bouncing up and down with clear annoyance on his face. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Heard it all before. Quit braggin' and come on. Ururu and Chad-bro are waiting on us to finish up, you know."

Uryuu rolled his eyes, but complied; the blue sparks dancing in his left hand burst into a single pulse, and he jumped back, pulling the string with his glowing left hand. Instantly, an arrow of light formed, and he loosed it at Kai's feet. Kai shook his head and casually kicked a rock at his feet toward the arrow. The makeshift projectile whistled like a falling bomb until it struck the arrow and shattered it, splitting the light into multiple strands.

"That's really crappy, Ishida," Kai said. "Did ya think you'd hit me with a shot that slow?"

Uryuu's response was to adjust his glasses, surreptitiously glancing at the spot where the arrow had been shattered. Sure enough, several small motes of blue Spiritual Pressure hung in the air. Repressing a smile at the success of his plan, Uryuu fired another shot, which split into three arrows that swarmed Kai from all sides. Kai was already running straight at Ishida with long, loping strides, and kicked out at the arrows when they came within leg's reach. The arrows shattered yet again, and more spheres of energy hung in the air where they had been broken. Kai then kicked off of the ground and pulled his left leg back, preparing to launch out with a powerful kick to Uryuu's face. In response, Uryuu just waited. Kai came closer and closer to him, but he kept perfectly still, simply watching Kai's leg.

Then, when it began to swing forward, Uryuu gathered Spiritual Energy into his lower body, particularly his feet, and launched into a Hirenkyaku. Much like the Flash Steps that Soul Reapers preferred, the Hirenkyaku let him move at high speeds—however, instead of pushing one's Spiritual Pressure from the back and letting it propel them forward, like a Flash Step, the Hirenkyaku gathered Spiritual Particles to a specific point, then made the particles fire against the surface that the Quincy was standing on, pushing them forward. Though Uryuu had been forced to substitute Spiritual Particles with his own Spiritual Pressure, the result was the same, if a bit too similar to Flash Steps for his liking.

Kai's foot hit nothing but air, and Uryuu allowed himself a smirk as he came to a stop a few feet behind Kai. "I wasn't trying to hit you yet," he said, and with that, pushed up his glasses once more. " _Spatz Fliegen._ "

The balls of Spiritual Energy hanging in the air shifted into smaller-scale versions of Uryuu's arrows, producing about twenty-two in total. Without further instruction from Ishida, they shot forward, and Kai couldn't as much as twitch his toe before he got bombarded by them, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Kai lay flat on his back, groaning in annoyance. The shots had pierced through only his limbs, leaving holes after they dissipated and streams of blood flowing down his arms and legs. With a pained grunt, Kai forced himself to sit up, closing one eye as pain shot through his entire body. "God damn, that hurts," he muttered. "Ishida, you dick, were you trying to kill me?"

"Not exactly," Uryuu said, shrugging. "It seems I underestimated my strength on that particular attack."

Kai kept up his blank stare for a few moments more, then shook his head and sighed. "Underestimated, huh? Right. Anyway, Ururu, Chad-bro, it's your turn."

Chad nodded and walked over to an unmarked section of ground, Ururu following behind him. Uryuu stopped to pick Kai off of the ground and helped him hobble over to Orihime, who put a hand to the cyan flower-shaped hairpins that kept her hair back. Two petals split off of them, forming into streams of light, and she whispered, "Souten Kisshun, I reject."

The two lights positioned themselves on opposite sides of Kai as Uryuu set him down on the ground once more, and in a moment, an orange dome formed between them, covering Kai's body. Orihime crouched down and placed her hands on the shield itself, closing her eyes to concentrate on the wounds.

"You don't even need to invoke their names anymore, Inoue-san," Uryuu said, watching as the Souten Kisshun began to reverse the wounds that Kai had taken. The blood was drying and flaking away, and the holes in his flesh were shrinking without even knitting themselves closed. "You've been practicing quite a bit."

"Everyone insists on fighting so hard, so I had to get faster," Orihime replied, smiling. "Though, Ishida-kun, you didn't make it quite as easy as I would have liked this time. Your Spiritual Pressure is still clogging up these wounds, and I can't work around that so easily."

Uryuu put a closed fist under his chin and turned to where Chad and Ururu were fighting. The smaller girl was using her bare knuckles to strike at Chad, who was defending with his right arm. Normally, that would have left a nice bruise even on Chad's densely built body. However, Chad had activated his powers, meaning that his right arm had turned black with a long, notched plate coming off the top of his shoulder. A maroon stripe lined with white was running down the top of his arm, covering his ring and middle fingers.

"Spatz Fliegen is still an experimental move," Uryuu said. "I may have compressed a bit too much of my Pressure in order to make sure that the remnants of the arrows stayed stable until they were ready to fire. Now that I've field-tested it, I should be able to ease up a bit and get the same results."

Orihime nodded, and stood as the last of Kai's injuries began to fade. She still stretched her hands out toward the Souten Kisshun, though, as it would make the process even faster. "That's good to hear."

A sudden boom swept through the training room, and everyone present looked towards a growing cloud of dust in the air as Ichigo's wild Spiritual Pressure washed over their senses like a tidal wave. Not long afterward, Yoruichi's spiked up just enough to penetrate through his, and the force of Ichigo's eased up in short order. "Yoruichi-san must have hit Kurosaki-kun with her zanpakutou just now," Orihime said, pulling her hands away from the Souten Kisshun. "I'd better get over there. He's not going to be in good shape after that."

Uryuu folded his arms and looked in the direction of Ichigo's battle. "Her zanpakutou is only a tonfa. Are you telling me an attack from that does more damage than over twenty consecutive shots from a bow? Kurosaki can't be that weak."

Orihime's gray eyes flashed, and she straightened up. "You aren't the one that's had to heal Kurosaki-kun when he has multiple bone fractures from being struck with blows that could _pulverize_ our bodies. You haven't had to deal with damage like that being magnified two times, three times, or even four times, let alone being dealt to multiple places on the body." She fixed Uryuu with a somber stare that made him step back a bit. "That's the kind of training Kurosaki-kun has to endure with Yoruichi-san. I don't think it's fair of you to call him weak without understanding what he has to go through."

With some regret, Uryuu remembered hat he was still somewhere between "friend" and "guy that everyone tolerated", thanks in no small part to the fact that he'd been kind of rash ( _or_ _stupid,_ he admitted) when he first met Ichigo and his friends. Snapping Hollow bait and calling thousands of the soul-eating bastards into Karakura to compete with Ichigo over who could kill more was the most imbecilic thing he'd ever done, and no one was really willing to forget it (or to let him forget it) that quickly.

"I spoke out of turn, Inoue-san," he said, lowering his head briefly. His tone was cool, but the frown on his face made his embarrassment clear. "I'm sorry."

Orihime's uncharacteristically stern expression gave way to a soft, if strained, smile, and she nodded, not quite sure of what to say. Shortly after that, the Souten Kisshun dissolved, and the two corners of light that had formed the shield flew back to their spots on Orihime's hairpins. Without a word, she turned and headed towards Yoruichi and Ichigo.

Now that the Souten Kisshun wasn't hovering overhead, Kai sat up and shook his head as he watched Orihime leave. "Ishida, you've got a hell of a way with words. It's one thing if you're gonna badmouth that girl's friends, but it's another thing if you're going to talk smack about Ichigo of all people. Are you dense or something?"

Uryuu didn't answer that, and instead sat down on a nearby rock, watching Chad and Ururu go at it. In the time since gaining his armored arm, Chad had gotten tougher and quicker to react to attacks, whether he had it on or not. He seemed to be much better at pacing himself, too, as he relied very little on the actual blasting power it contained and used regular punches.

Though it made things easier for him, it didn't save him from Ururu's superior speed and agility; he defended well, but there was always a punch that slipped under his guard and crashed into his ribs or his stomach. Though he never made any sign of crumbling under the blows, it was clear from the grunts that escaped him that Ururu was hitting hard.

Eventually, their exchange came to an end when Chad came in with a rushing elbow attack from his armored arm. Ururu ducked it, only to be surprised when Chad pulled his hand back toward his waist, striking Ururu in the back of her head with his elbow. Dazed, she staggered forward, and Chad took that time to pivot round and grip the back of her neck, almost completely covering it with his hand.

"I win," Chad said, his voice quiet.

Ururu held almost perfectly still, and her body gradually relaxed under Chad's hand. Chad released her almost immediately afterward, and she began to blush, losing the inhuman smoothness and precision that had marked her movements before. "You've really improved, Sado-san," she said, her voice a little louder than a whisper at best.

Chad nodded, accepting the compliment, and let out a breath as his armor broke into flecks of light and returned his arm to normal.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Ichigo and Yoruichi's side of the training room, Orihime stepped back and let her Souten Kisshun dissolve, allowing Ichigo to stand up and flex his hands. The wounds he'd taken from Yoruichi's tonfa were gone, with no lingering soreness; Orihime's healing ability had greatly improved since she first unlocked it.

"Thanks, Inoue," Ichigo said, nodding to Orihime with a small smile. "I feel great."

Orihime blushed and returned the smile with a broad one, laughing airily and failing to sound as nonchalant as he did. "It wasn't much, Kurosaki-kun."

Yoruichi watched all of this with an amused smile. Though Ichigo appeared completely oblivious to Orihime's crush on him, Orihime had taken every bit of praise he gave her and used it to fuel her efforts. At the start of her training at Urahara's, she'd needed a fair degree of concentration and effort to use her powers, requiring the names of the fairies that went into making her shields as well as the technique that she wanted them to perform. Repeated practice and stubborn, unyielding effort had gotten her to the point where she no longer needed the fairies' names, and the delay between invoking a formation and the formation activating was shortened. This wasn't counting her steady progress in high-speed movement, either; though Orihime didn't have Ichigo's ludicrous amount of Spiritual Energy (and thus, lacked his equivalent amount of Spiritual Pressure), her sensory talents translated into a very fine control over what she did have, especially since her powers were mostly sealed. Because of this finesse, shed been able to master the basics of Flash Steps and could use them with ease, well ahead of Chad.

Human beings were never intended to have such power; Ichigo only had his powers because of his "co-worker" in Soul Reaping, Rukia Kuchiki. She'd been forced to give him half of her powers to save them and his family from a misguided ghost-monsters known as a Hollow; his latent potential had been brought to the fore by this, and the result was a degree of power that most Soul Reapers fresh out of the Shinou Academy in the afterlife would sell their souls to match. Though measures had been taken to restrain this massive power, it hadn't been able to keep up with Ichigo's growth, and in the end Orihime and Chad gained their own powers, as did one of their other friends, Tatsuki Arisawa—Tatsuki wasn't here with them now only because she was at training with some of her teammates from Karate Club.

 _Arisawa isn't coming along too badly either, now that I think of it,_ Yoruichi thought, smiling to herself with folded arms. _No real progress with Flash Steps, but she's almost there, I think…._

At that moment, a chill came over her, but not a normal one. Her spiritual senses, well-honed over a century of exile from Soul Society and the Soul Reapers' Gotei 13, flared up and drummed a heavy beat into her head as a sickening, slimy and cold feeling she could only associate with a Hollow's Spiritual Energy washed over her body.

From the way Ichigo and Orihime's heads snapped up, it wasn't just Yorichi's imagination either.

"Damn it," Ichigo said. "Shihouin-san, Inoue, did you feel that?"

Yoruichi nodded once, her smile gone as her expression grew tense. "...Damn, there are two of them. And they're strong. Way stronger than any normal Hollow." After a moment, she bit back a snarl as her lip curled, exposing a canine. "It feels almost like there are Soul Reapers there, and the only other human energy I sense…."

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime shouted, her eyes going wide as she sensed it. "Kurosaki-kun, Tatsuki-chan's...Tatsuki-chan's out there!"

Ichigo swung Zangetsu downward, compressing his Spiritual Energy and transforming the blade from the strange cleaver-like shape into a blade similar to a katana with a straight edge instead of a curved one, with a white tassel capped by a black bead hanging off of the bottom of the handle. With another motion, it was stored in the sheath on his back. "Then we need to get out there, too, and pronto! Whatever the hell those things are, if they get Tatsuki…!"

Orihime's eyes hardened in a way that Ichigo had never seen before. "They won't. If they try...I'll make sure they pay for it."

The bald threat caused Yoruichi to raise an eyebrow, but she didn't say anything, instead turning to the ladder that lead back up to the store. Moments later, Ichigo and Orihime both rushed past her in a burst of Flash Steps, ruffling her clothes and ponytail.

"I wonder...could it be that Aizen is making a move already?" she murmured to herself.

* * *

The Karakura High School karate team preferred to work out in the woods whenever they practiced, and because of that they were often isolated for most of the afternoon and into the evening.

Unfortunately, that didn't save them from the enemies that Ichigo and his friends had sensed from where they were at Urahara's, halfway across town.

The enemies in question were two men in white coats; one was average height, with chalk-white skin, shoulder-length black hair, and large green eyes with long black lines that ran from the bottom lids, and the other was a brown-skinned, paunchy giant, with beady eyes and red markings under them. He was bald, with three odd ridges on his head, shaggy sideburns, and a shaggy scrawl of hair that barely qualified as a ponytail at the base of his skull.

What made their appearances even stranger, though, were the bony decorations they wore. The pale man had what appeared to be half a helmet with a thin horn atop the left side of his head, while the large man had a square jaw attached to the bottom of his chin. On top of that were the strange holes in their bodies; the pale man's hole was at the base of his neck, just above the sternum, while the large man's was in the dead center of his chest.

It was the giant man that spoke first after letting out a crude burp as he surveyed the area from the crater that he and his companion had made when they'd arrived. The dead bodies of the Karakura Town karate club could be seen littering the clearing that they were standing in. "What a bunch of weaklings," he said, shaking his head. "One little Soul Suck technique and they all drop like flies. And it all tasted like shit on the roadside to boot!"

"They're regular humans, Yammy, of course they wouldn't nourish you," the pale man replied. "At any rate, we shouldn't dally here. Lord Aizen did say that Kisuke Urahara would likely be monitoring the city for any abrupt changes in spiritual presence. Choosing to eat all those humans, in addition to our own appearance, is likely to tip our hand. We need to move quickly."

Yammy let out a grunt and scratched his head. "Yeah, I get it, Ulquiorra. If that's so then shut up and start directing or something. Where are we headed off to?"

Before Ulquiorra could answer, the shuffling of grass drew both his attention and Yammy's to a tree on the opposite side of the clearing. Standing next to that tree was a small girl with rough, wild black hair and large, expressive eyes, dressed in a white karate gi. Her gaze slowly shifted from the dead bodies of her teammates to Yammy and Ulquiorra, and her eyes narrowed as her fists clenched.

This was Tatsuki Arisawa, Orihime's best friend and Ichigo's old sparring partner and childhood friend, and at the moment, the only surviving member of the Karakura High School karate club. Much as she wanted to look at the bodies of all her fallen clubmates, she refrained; because she too had unlocked spiritual power like Orihime and Chad, she could sense that she, Yammy, and Ulquiorra were the only beings with souls in the vicinity.

Everyone else was dead.

Yammy arched an eyebrow at her show of anger, and grinned. "Oh? One of them made it through after all. And it feels like her Spiritual Energy's actually rising!"

"You bastards feel like Hollows," Tatsuki replied, her voice hard and cold. Small spurts of reddish-orange fire seemed to erupt from her fists at random intervals as she stared down the two of them. Her eyes quickly checked their waists; both men carried swords in white sashes there. "But you've got swords. Who are you?"

Yammy laughed, a crude, cold and deep sound. "You're pretty close to the mark, missy. Let's say that we're what most Hollows wish they could be. Better and stronger in all the ways that matter." He slowly started to lumber over to the girl, clenching his hands into big, meaty fists. "And since you think you're so tough, how about I demonstrate that on you, eh?"

With that, he cocked one hand back and swung, but Tatsuki was two steps ahead of him and ducked under the blow, her hair growing out as her eyes slitted. Her skin began to grow visible cracks, and in moments, a blue scale pattern was rushing up her hands, and her nails sharpened into gleaming white claws. Her right hand aflame, she swung at Yammy, cracking him across the jaw with a powerful punch that sent him back a few steps. She followed that with a quick step in and a spinning chop to the neck, followed by a double-fisted punch to Yammy's sternum. The rapid combination of blows forced him back a bit more, and Tatsuki took the opportunity to put a bit of space between them.

Yammy slowly pulled his head down and wiped a bit of spittle and blood from his lower lip, and grinned. His jaw was clearly bruised and his lip was cut, but aside from that he seemed fine. "Heh. You actually managed to crack my Hierro a bit with all that flailing around, huh? Guess you're not as weak as I thought. If that's the case I guess I can actually work a little more now, eh?"

Tatsuki just growled and took a breath, letting her Spiritual Energy slowly rise up. She'd had her powers for about three months now, and recently had come across a second stage aside from the one she was using now. Though Yammy did seem at least a little hurt by her first stage's attacks, even Tatsuku's mediocre spiritual senses were telling her that Yammy's Spiritual Energy was slowly rising.

 _If I only managed to just hurt him at this level of strength, then once he gets serious I really won't be able to stop him. If I give it all I've got and enter Stage 2, I might be able to overpower him._

"Don't waste too much time playing with this trash, Yammy," Ulquiorra said, barely turning his head to look at Tatsuki. "We have more important things to be doing."

The trash crack immediately raised Tatsuki's hackles, and she clenched her fists, taking the clamp off of her Spiritual Energy. Immediately, her body was filled with a rush of heat, and she felt an itching at the base of her spine before the fabric of her pants ripped just above her tailbone. Moments later, a thin, blue-scaled tail waved around behind her, its tip reaching to just above the nape of her neck. A similar itching danced across her skull before a pair of horns similar to the stripped branches of a tree grew from atop her head, while her feet took on the same scaled quality of her hands and her hair grew even longer.

Yammy simply raised an eyebrow as Tatsuki panted, letting out thin, wispy streams of gray smoke from her mouth and nostrils. Her claws dug into the earth as she got down on all fours, and moments later she flew forward with a single pull against the dirt, further boosted by a gout of Spiritual Pressure. With her hands and feet engulfed in roaring fire, she kicked Yammy square in the face, breaking his nose, but was unpleasantly surprised when he took the blow without flinching this time and countered with a vicious backhand that sent Tatsuki careening towards a tree. Despite the pain blinding her, Tatsuki managed to recover herself, flipping in midair and concentrating free-floating Spiritual Particles to land in the air.

Yammy, for his part, just laughed, though his nostrils were bleeding freely. "So you were holding back too, huh? You're pretty interesting for trash, but Ulquiorra has a point, annoying as he is. If I just keep screwing around we'll never get rid of you." With a sound much like a booming burst of static, Yammy disappeared from where he stood and appeared behind Tatsuki, swinging one hand down at a speed easily twice his previous attack. Tastuki just managed to put up a hasty block before the attack landed, shielding her head with her forearms, but it was no good; she was sent flying down and back to hit the ground with a tremendous crash.

As dirt and debris rose up around her, Tatsuki felt almost every bone in her body scream in agony; her forearms ached from blocking the blow, and her back was likely to bruise by tomorrow given the force of her impact. Despite that, though, she forced herself to her feet just as Yammy appeared in front of her, drawing his fist back for another punch.

"And now, you're done, brat," he said. "Good night."

Before he could strike down, though, his attack was interrupted by three other voices speaking in unison.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Koten Zanshun!"

"Ora!"

Yammy had just enough time to turn and look to his left before he was hit by three simultaneous attacks. The first was the powerful blue light of Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou attack, which knocked Yammy back even as he used his left hand to defend it. He then took a hit from Orihime's single offensive attack, a slicing shield that flew directly toward his face; he put a hand out and grunted, then closed his fist. His hand was sliced up by the shield, but it shattered shortly afterward, and Orihime recoiled as if she were struck.

Despite that setback, Chad completed the trifecta by landing in front of Yammy and cracking him across the jaw with a perfect uppercut and a blue burst of Spiritual Energy that sent him flying.

Tatsuki just smiled, gripping one shoulder as she kept her breathing as regular as she could. One eye was closed as blood flowed down her forehead and cheek. "Took you guys long enough. The hell were you all doing?"

"Sorry, we didn't sense these assholes until just now," Ichigo replied, steadying Zangetsu and facing Yammy directly. "You're pretty messed up. Leave this big guy to me and Chad. Inoue, get Tatsuki out of here, OK?"

Orihime nodded, her face pale but her expression determined. "I'll heal her first. Worry about that man, and I'll cover you with the Santen if I have to."

With a grunt, Tatsuki sat down, and the two petals of the Souten Kisshun flew off from Orihime's hairpins at her command, taking position around Tatsuki and restoring her body. Ulquiorra watched this with a raised eyebrow, but processed everything internally. _It looks like healing, but...something unnatural is happening here. It seems closer to...reversing causality, almost._ His mouth twitched from a line into a frown as Ichigo and Chad squared up in front of Yammy. _And this boy with the Zanpakutou...without a doubt, he's the one Lord Aizen told us to keep an eye on, but he doesn't seem all that special._

As if hearing Ulquiorra's insult, Ichigo launched into action shortly after the thought passed through Ulquiorra's mind; he darted in, Zangetsu alight in a pale blue flame as he slashed repeatedly at Yammy. The bigger man had the sense to avoid the blows instead of blocking or deflecting them, but whenever Yammy moved, Chad followed up, using straight jabs from his armored arm to catch Yammy wherever he dodged to. The tactic was straightforward but sound; eventually, Yammy just stopped to deflect Chad's punches, but that in turn opened him up to take a shallow cut or two from Ichigo's attacks.

These gradual injuries only wore down Yammy's short fuse, and eventually he let out an enraged snarl and made to draw his sword with his right hand. Unfortunately for him, the injury Orihime dealt to that hand slowed him down just a bit, and that was long enough for Ichigo and Chad to make a decisive move. With a grunt, Chad rushed in once more and hit Yammy's hand almost directly on top of the injury, widening the gash and forcing the hand to spasm. Without hesitating, Ichigo swung his sword downward, cleaving Yammy's hand and most of his forearm clear off almost instantly and following up with a smooth side kick that clipped Yammy's ear and chin with a sickening crack. Howling, Yammy stumbled back, blood dribbling from his eardrum and his amputated hand.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Yammy shouted, clutching at the stump. "You smarmy little bastards, who the hell do you think you are? I'll fucking kill you for that!"

Ichigo and Chad didn't deign to answer him, and chose to press their attack instead. Yammy was left to curse impotently as they moved in. As Ichigo came in from the right, Yammy swung his arm; with a quick duck, Ichigo was on his back and kicking upward, striking Yammy's arm and leaving Yammy's ribs exposed to a bone-shattering punch from Chad. Roaring in pain, Yammy was thus unprepared for Ichigo to swing upward with Zangetsu.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

The blue-and-white burst of Spiritual Energy flew from the sword, but Ichigo failed to see a blur interpose itself between Yammy and the Getsuga. When the smoke cleared, Ulquiorra stood in front of Ichigo, hands still in his pockets.

He had used himself as a shield against Ichigo's attack, and barely seemed fazed by the fact that a burst of Spiritual Energy just detonated in his face.

Realizing this, Ichigo backed off, and Chad, though confused, followed his lead. Yammy, panting and sweating from his injuries, glared at Ulquiorra. "The hell did you get in the way for, Ulquiorra? I could've taken that easy!"

Ulquiorra responded to this by taking one hand out of his pocket and smashing Yammy in the stomach, forcing the larger man to double over. "You idiot. It's too late now. Injured as you are, it's too easy for them to break through your Hierro...not that they were having too much trouble with that to begin with."

Internally, Ulqiuorra's thoughts were still collected, but a bit less acerbic. _Though he's right..it might not have killed him, but his chest would have been opened up at the least. I was not hurt, but that doesn't mean that Kurosaki is weak...the compression of the Spiritual Pressure was perfect, and his unarmed skills are strong._

As he returned his hand to his pocket, Ulquiorra focused his attention on Ichigo and Chad, while Yoruichi appeared behind the two young men with the distinctive whoosh of Flash Steps. She eyed Ulquiorra cautiously, then sighed. "Ichigo, Sado, good work, but next time, try not to pick a fight with two Arrancar, please?"

Ichigo cursed, while Chad's visible eye widened slightly. They had both sensed the strange Spiritual Energy emanating from Ulquiorra and Yammy, but neither of them had even entertained the possibility that the two strange men were Arrancar. As a Soul Reaper, it was Ichigo's job to deal with monsters called Hollows, which were created from Wholes, or human souls, that had become resentful and overly attached to lingering regrets in life. An Arrancar was a Hollow, but had been modified to resemble a Soul Reaper more than most Hollows ever could.

What made Arrancar so dangerous, though, was the fact that so far as Ichigo knew, there was only one man that was actively employing and even creating them: Sousuke Aizen, a former captain of the Soul Reapers' Gotei 13 military organization. Aizen's current interests, according to what little intel was available on him, ran more in the direction of creating Arrancar as part of some military movement, possibly against Soul Society.

And the best way for Aizen to do that would be to steal an object that was currently in Urahara's care: the Hougyoku.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he looked at Yammy and Ulquiorra. _Is that what they came here for? To find Urahara's shop, and get the Hougyoku?_

While Ichigo pondered that, Yoruichi slowly reached toward the small of her back; tucked into a beige sash around her waist was a short sword in a black sheath. Ulquiorra's eyes snapped onto her the moment he saw her take the weapon in hand, and he backed away with slow, careful steps.

Yoruichi smiled broadly, but the flash of her canines put more than a hint of unfriendliness into her expression. "Oh? Nervous? There's no need to be so twitchy, friend. Unless you're planning on fighting right here and now…?"

Rather than respond, Ulquiorra quickly surveyed the area. Ichigo and Chad were no less ready than Yoruichi, and Orihime's shield dissipated, allowing Tatsuki to stand up and glare hatefully at Ulquiorra and Yammy.

 _Collectively, they cannot beat me, but Yammy is injured enough that if I were to be distracted, he would be disposed of. Our main goal has already been met in a sense; I have assessed Kurosaki's power and prowess. We were not able to venture into the city to find Urahara's shop, but this will have to do unless I sacrifice Yammy._

With a wave of Ulquiorra's arm, a jagged hole—appearing for all the world like a tear with uneven square edges that opened up into a black void—appeared beside him with a horrendous noise, and he pushed Yammy through with a casual shove. He turned away from the group, though he took a moment to look at Orihime and Ichigo in particular before he walked toward the hole.

 _Kurosaki..._ _his Spiritual Energy is stable, but he hasn't fully pushed it to its highest point yet. The boy with the arm, and that dragon girl...they haven't either. Collectively, they couldn't beat me._ _But working with Shihouin, as they are now...they could prove troublesome_ _in my unreleased form._ _And that_ _other girl, with the shields_ _...as weak as her offensive power is, that causality reversal might make her the most dangerous one here._

With that, he shook his head, and the hole closed.

Ichigo sighed, sheathing his sword, then winced as pain shot through the foot and leg he'd used to kick Yammy. "Damn! That big guy had skin like steel!"

"They said something about 'Hierro' and your attacks breaking them," Chad said, relaxing his stance and letting his arm return to normal. "That's Spanish for 'iron'. Maybe it's some sort of protective ability?"

Yoruichi nodded. "More than likely, yes. Their Spiritual Energy was shrouding them to a degree, and the big one's shroud was thinner after he was injured. Not thin enough for unarmed attacks of Ichigo's level to break through, but definitely enough that a Getsuga would have done critical damage if that other one hadn't blocked it."

Tatsuki, still transformed, looked around the clearing again, her fierce expression sobering as she took in the bodies of the karate team. After a moment, she spoke, her voice cracking slightly. "Yoruichi-san...my teammates. They're all dead because of that bastard." Spurts of flame began to roll up and down her arms and legs. "You called those guys...Arrancar, right? What the hell are they, and how the hell do we stop them?"

"I'll explain everything back at the shop," Yoruichi replied. "I need to tell Kisuke what happened here and we need to start planning our next move." She turned toward Karakura Town proper, her brows furrowed in thought and in concern. "The fight hasn't started yet, but it will soon. If you all are going to be part of it, then you'd better get ready. From here on out, we're going to be going all the way."

* * *

 **END OF CLASS**

* * *

 _Teacher's Notes:_

 _Hey hey everyone. Sorry this took so long, but right after my last chapter of Stand and Vampire, I got really busy with Real Life Stuff and I had to stop and kind of re-focus myself on what I wanted to write for this story. This chapter is a little bit on the short end, but mostly because I wanted to get something out before we went for too long without any updates at all._

 _I have two quick things to address here: one is the subject of where this story's going and the other is some continuity/canon stuff. First, this story will cover the Arrancar Arc, the Winter War Arc, and the Deicide arc. The in-story timeline is probably going to be a bit longer than canon's, making the Winter War an actual Winter War to at least some extent. As for the second part…._

 _Let's put it like this._

 _This story finished a good couple of years ago. I wrote the original story laboring under quite a few assumptions that canon has debunked (the true nature of Ichigo's Inner Hollow, some stuff about his Zanpakutou, his mom and his dad and how they met). The plans I made in the interim to write Second Semester largely continue off of the canon established in First Semester, and telling a coherent story is more important than bending my current plans to stay totally in line with all the new things we know about the Bleach universe. So, for the time being, assume that anything following Deicide in the manga is of "selective canon" to this story—I may use elements of canon almost wholesale where I feel they will fit, but there are certain adjustments I'll make to fit Substitute School._

 _In other words, if the story up until now doesn't contradict something from the manga, it's probably still canon. If the story up until now contradicts something in the manga, expect some changes to the latter to make it fit into the story._

 _I will say one thing flat-out though: the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc is not going to happen in Substitute School. The main antagonists of that storyline are a non-factor in this story because integrating them messes very badly with the already established canon, and I'm not going there. On a more personal note, I don't really like their powers nor how the arc itself is resolving, and I fully admit that my biases in that direction would make it hard for me to even write a fair version of that arc. So I'm not._

 _If you have any questions, feel free to review with an account or PM if you have something that you feel might be really plot-sensitive. I won't guarantee that you'll get a straight answer if there are spoilers, but I'll do my best._

 _Next chapter will come after I've written the next chapter for Stand and Vampire. I'm going to be busy pretty soon, so it may take some time._

 _In the meantime, enjoy the chapter._

 _~ZS_


	3. Arrancar Anatomy 201

_Lesson 2: Arrancar Anatomy 201, or The Power of Blurred Boundaries_

* * *

 **Monday, September 9, 4:05 PM**

 **Soul Society, Seireitei: First Division Barracks**

 _Shortly after Yammy and Ulquiorra arrive in Karakura, but before Ichigo and friends fight them off_

Very little could throw Captain-General Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto of the Gotei 13 off-balance when it came to matters of Soul Reaping and Hollows; he had lived a very long time, building the very backbone of Soul Reaper society with his bare hands and a fair deal of savagery, and as such nothing really fazed him anymore.

This held true even as a sweating, panicked messenger burst into Yamamoto's office, panting and sweating as he knelt and touched his head to the ground in apology. "Captain-General! Pleas forgive my intrusion, but two powerful Hollow-type signals were just detected in Karakura Town! They're confirmed as Arrancar!"

Yamamoto looked up from the paperwork on the desk in front of him; his eyes, normally almost closed, cracked open slightly, drawing more wrinkles across the grizzled, x-shaped scar on his forehead. He wore an outfit exactly like Ichigo's Soul Reaper uniform, save for the white coat draped over his shoulders. "Dispatch orders to Kurosaki to intercept, and get Lieutenant Abarai of the Sixth back out to Karakura immediately. Officer Kuchiki of the Thirteenth needs to be dispatched as well. Once you've seen to that, call the captains and their lieutenants here."

The messenger bowed and left immediately; once he was gone, Yamamoto sighed in annoyance, stroking his long white beard and the purple ribbon that wound down and through it. Normally, Lieutenant Renji Abarai would have already been in the vicinity, as would have Rukia Kuchiki of the Thirteenth Division—aside from being fairly good friends with Ichigo Kurosaki, the two Soul Reapers had been assigned to primarily to help train Ichigo during the week. However, they'd both been recalled to Seireitei late last night in order to handle some administrative matters in Soul Society, and had been preparing to depart for Karakura in about an hour's time.

 _I suppose that a week's reprieve made us complacent,_ Yamamoto thought, standing up and rolling his shoulders. He reached to the right side of his desk, grasping a gnarled wooden cane with a large, ovular head, and his overcoat shifted slightly as he moved to leave his office. _If these Arrancar are coming directly to Karakura, then we've no choice but to increase the effective military power there—Kuchiki and Abarai alone cannot deal with that._

As he left the office, Yamamoto turned to his left and grunted. Standing at the doorway was a tan-skinned man with golden eyes and well-styled white hair, as well as a trimmed black mustache; he wore a white coat similar to Yamamoto's, with a turtleneck of a similar color underneath his robes. This was the lieutenant of the First Division, Choujirou Sasakibe.

"Sasakibe," Yamamoto said. "You've received the news as well?"

"Yes, sir," Sasakibe replied. "Unnerving that there is no gauge of their strength yet. With only young Kurosaki and his friends there…." Though he trailed off there, Yamamoto knew that Sasakibe was asking a question: _do you expect them to survive a fight with the Arrancar?_

Yamamoto faced forward and began to walk toward the assembly room where the captains would gather. "It would be a troublesome matter, yes, but loath though I am to admit it, Kisuke Urahara and his ilk are a factor in our favor here. His purposes do not run counter to ours so far as Kurosaki's health and safety are concerned—and if it is only two Arrancar, I think that with Aizen's 'incomplete' Hougyoku in play, even Urahara or Shihouin can manage the situation."

Sasakibe nodded, his question answered, and fell into step behind Yamamoto without another word spoken.

* * *

The captains and lieutenants assembled at the First Division in about ten minutes; unlike some of their more relaxed meetings where they would have seats set out around a table, here they all stood up, facing each other with Yamamoto standing at the head of the room. The members of the odd-numbered divisions stood to his left, while the members of the even-numbered divisions stood to his right; Sasakibe stood behind him on his left side.

Three places on the right, however, were left semi-empty, as those divisions did not have captains to lead them—the Third, Fifth, and Ninth Division, the divisions of the traitor captains Gin Ichimaru, Sousuke Aizen, and Kaname Tousen. Instead, Lieutenants Kira Izuru of the Third, Momo Hinamori of the Fifth, and Shuuhei Hisagi of the Ninth stood alone, representing their divisions by necessity.

Another oddity was the singular presence of Captain Juushirou Ukitake of the Thirteenth Division—he had no lieutenant proper since the death of Kaien Shiba some years ago, and the joint third-seated officers, Kiyone Koutetsu and Sentarou Kotsubaki, were not quite of the temperament to handle such serious matters.

The messenger that had given the report to Yamamoto in the first place was kneeling at the center of the room. While the captains and lieutenants were making their way to the First Division, events in Karakura proceeded apace, and a report from the scene had been sent back for the captains' benefit.

After surveying the room, Yamamoto rolled his shoulders and spoke. "Asai, give your report."

The messenger stood, brushing his brown hair back as he looked directly at Yamamoto. "Lieutenant Abarai and Officer Kuchiki have both reported to Karakura Town as instructed, sir. They're still in the process of confirming what exactly happened, but none of Officer Kurosaki's friends or any members of Kisuke Urahara's group have sustained serious injury." Asai hesitated for a moment after that, blinking once or twice, then took a small breath and continued on. "However, there were a number of fatalities among Karakura's human population. The Twelfth Division reports a net loss of 50 to 60 overall, but will need to inspect the bodies directly to determine a cause of death."

"Frankly, I'd prefer to be working on that right now, but given this meeting I'm afraid my hands are tied on that," a male voice snidely replied on Yamamoto's right side. Yamamoto opened one eye and stared down the line at the speaker, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Division. Kurotsuchi was a man of slightly above-average height; his blue hair was styled into a large pair of downward sloping "horns", which made him look like a pharaoh when combined with the golden frame and golden "beard" jutting out from his chin. He also wore stark black and white facepaint; the black covered his face in a T-shaped pattern excluding his nose, his cheeks, and part of his chin. At his side, his daughter and lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi looked on passively, hands crossed in front of her.

"Captain Kurotsuchi," Yamamoto said, "you will have quite enough time to research as needed after the meeting is concluded. Particularly since we now need an increased presence in Karakura Town to offset any future Arrancar incursions—I shall not have Kurosaki stand short-handed if they decide to keep pressing the attack."

Kurotsuchi grimaced slightly at the reprimand, exposing his golden teeth, but nodded once. With Kurotsuchi silenced, Yamamoto continued speaking. "With Abarai and Kuchiki already present in Karakura Town, I have need of one captain and at least three other lieutenants to be present. I will take volunteers, but if no one steps up, I will choose people to go."

The room was silent for a few moments, but before Yamamoto could speak again, the closest captain on his right side, the petite, black-haired Soifon of the Second Division, stepped forward. Her steely gray eyes looked up directly at the Captain-General for a moment; the rings on the end of her cloth-wrapped braids jangled slightly as she knelt to the ground in front of him, lowering her head. "I volunteer as the captain representative, sir."

Soifon's lieutenant, the large and somewhat chunky Marechiyo Oomaeda, looked on in surprise, picking at his ruffled purple collar. Yamamoto looked down at Soifon and hummed for a moment. "I will have your word, Captain Soifon, that you will not agitate the members of Urahara's group. Your feelings regarding Yoruichi Shihouin cannot become a problem."

Soifon didn't move, save for the barest twitch of her left hand, curled into a fist and pressed against the ground. "On my honor, sir. I swear it."

After watching her for a few moments more, Yamamoto nodded. "Very well then. You will lead the advance group." He looked up and surveyed the remaining captains. "Now, lieutenants. Who will be sent?"

On the right side of the room, Captain Shunsui Kyoukraku of the Eighth Division, a man with a brown straw hat and wearing a pink coat over his white captain's jacket smiled, rubbing the brown stubble along his jaw. "Nanao-chan's been wanting to see Kurosaki-kun for a while now. I think it'll be good for her to go, if you'll have her, sir."

Nanao Ise, Kyouraku's black-haired lieutenant, blinked in surprise behind her wire-framed glasses. However, she quickly recovered and responded. "If the Captain-General approves, I accept."

Kurotsuchi spoke up afterward, still looking disgruntled. "I suppose this is as good a time as any to test her independent functions...Nemu will go as well. I need her to collect samples on the dead humans and to check up on Kurosaki and the other rabble."

Nemu simply nodded at this, causing her long black braid to swish slightly.

After that, a huge man standing on the left side of the room, Kenpachi Zaraki of the Eleventh Division, let out a low chuckle; his black hair was styled into high spikes, each with a bell on the end, and his white captain's jacket was ragged along the edges. His right eye was covered with a black patch, and a long scar ran down the left side of his face, from his scalp to his top lip and over his eye. His lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi, a small, pink-haired girl with a bright blush and sharp pink eyes, was draped over his left shoulder with a smile. "Yachiru's too much of a brat to be trusted with something like this, but I'll send along Ikkaku and Yumichika in her place. The two of them together will do for a lieutenant's strength in a pinch."

Yamamoto looked between the three men, then nodded again. "Then, the advance team is Captain Soifon, Lieutenants Nanao Ise and Nemu Kurotsuchi, 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame, and 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa. Are there any objections?"

The ensuing silence was all the answer he needed, and he continued speaking.

"Then it is decided. Now, for one last piece of business—the matter of Ichigo Kurosaki's training. Out of respect for his schedule, we decided to begin his regimen anew this weekend. However, with his Hakuda and one of his Kidou instructors available to him for the foreseeable future, I will be expecting his training in those fields to be taking place during the week, with the weekends reserved for Zanjutsu training with Captain Kuchiki."

At mention of his name, Byakuya Kuchiki of the Sixth Division, standing on the right side of the room, nodded his acknowledgment of the orders. His lieutenant, Renji Abarai, was absent, as he'd been sent ahead to get a sitrep with Ichigo per Yamamoto's orders.

"Additionally, he is still considered a free agent for those divisions that need an extra hand with any particular duties so long as they are related to the function of the division," Yamamoto said. "If, however, I find that his time or his abilities are being spent frivolously when he is meant to be training, there will be consequences for the instigators. Is that understood?"

This time, nods or grunts answered Yamamoto's question. However, a shared, subtle wince was shared between a few of the lieutenants, particularly tall, silver-haired Isane Kotetsu of the Fourth Division, strawberry-blonde Rangiku Matsumoto of the Tenth Division, and Nanao. It was no small secret that the Soul Reapers' Women's Association had taken advantage of Ichigo's supplementary training—really, more of a work-as-needed arrangement as implied by Yamamoto's words earlier—to get good photos for sale as calendars or photobooks. They'd sold out on the feature for Ichigo, One Strawberry Protector, and were in the process of beginning a second run. Yamamoto's crackdown spoke to how serious the situation was, and the members of the SRWA understood that, but the impact on their revenues was still an unpleasant prospect to face.

If Yamamoto noticed their dismay, he said nothing; instead, he rapped his cane on the ground. "For now, you are all dismissed. Those that are preparing to go to the Human World, you will be departing tomorrow and making contact with Ichigo Kurosaki at his school. If you have material to be prepared prior to your departure, do so before 2100 hours today."

With that, the Captains and Lieutenants shuffled out of the room. Once it was empty, Sasakibe turned to Yamamoto with a slight frown. "Sir."

"Yes, Sasakibe?"

Sasakibe's brow furrowed. "Are you sure about Captain Soifon's objectivity on this assignment?"

Yamamoto leaned into his cane a little more than usual for a moment, and allowed a sigh to raise and lower his shoulders. "To be honest, I nearly forbade her. But...much as it is a risk, I can trust her to keep her word once she has sworn to it. And perhaps what she needs is to be forced to interact with Shihouin civilly in order to finally get past the matter once and for all." His grip tightened on the head of the cane. "She has always borne that simmering resentment of Shihouin since becoming Captain, and it stunts her and limits her. This war we are entering has no place for her complexes, and if facing them directly is the only way for her to overcome them, then so be it. Should the worst come to pass, Ise should prove sensible enough to keep her from being too unreasonable."

"Perhaps," Sasakibe replied, closing his eyes. "I would like to hope so, sir. Though, I am surprised at Kyouraku and Zaraki's nominees…."

"Madarame has taken something of a shine to Kurosaki, according to the Eleventh's reports," Yamamoto said, relaxing from his more laden posture. "Ayasegawa is attached at the hip to Madarame, so it makes sense to send them both. As for Ise...I think that Shunsui simply sees this as a training ground for her."

He opened his eyes and sighed again, remembering the rare look under Kyouraku's carefree mask on the day the Captain of the Eighth met Nanao again, long after the unfortunate passing of her parents. Guilt and relief, mixed with tinges of hope and pride, had crossed Kyouraku's face as he described Nanao to Yamamoto, and the Captain-General knew that though Kyouraku feared for Ise's safety, as was fit for her last living relative, Kyouraku also recognized her potential and wanted to see it blossom.

Sasakibe nodded again. "He is not wrong, though I find it an interesting time and place to test her. I hope she rises to the occasion."

Yamamoto simply hummed in reply and walked toward the door, leaving Sasakibe to follow behind him.

For Shunsui's sake, I hope so too, Sasakibe, the old man thought. Let him find pride in something for once.

* * *

Oomaeda looked around quickly, then lowered his head as he made an effort to keep up with Soifon's brisk march to the open doorway that led out of the building that housed both Yamamoto's office and the meeting room. Before he could speak, Soifon interrupted him. "You already know what drills need to be run and what requisitions need to be filled, Oomaeda. Thankfully your playing the oaf has not actually made you incompetent, I've no patience to make you an enumerated list of what is to be done while I'm absent."

"O-of course, Captain," Oomaeda replied, ducking slightly to fit through the doorway after letting Soifon pass through first. As they stepped out onto the lawn around the meeting room building, he swallowed past a lump in his throat and continued. "Ma'am, are you...are you absolutely certain that you volunteered with the, uh…right intentions? Given your history with…."

Soifon stopped cold and whirled on Oomaeda, glaring up at him. With a squeak, he shrank back from her slightly. "Did I speak too highly of your intelligence, Oomaeda? If I did not, then why would you ask a question like that?"

Oomaeda, wisely, said nothing, and Soifon, satisfied, turned away from him and blurred into Flash Steps, sensing him follow suit not long afterward. With full silence around her, Soifon finally concentrated on the real problem—Yoruichi Shihouin, the woman that truly taught her what it meant to be a Soul Reaper, the woman she once would have followed into hell, and the woman that Soifon now succeeded as Second Division Captain and leader of the Stealth Forces. The Captain-General is no fool, she thought, furrowing her brow. He knows that while I will conduct myself professionally, I still have every intention of confronting that woman the moment it is reasonably prudent to do so. Regardless of what role Aizen played in what happened to Urahara and the other captains 100 years ago...it does not change the fact that she left with him.

Memories of her years with Yoruichi flooded Soifon's mind, and she immediately felt a twisting pang of anger in her stomach. From the outside, she knew how her relationship with Yoruichi must have looked back then—that she was hopelessly in love with Yoruichi and was jealous of Yoruichi's friendship (and blooming relationship) with Urahara. However, it was never like that. It was a bond of sisterhood, of family, something that Soifon lacked as she grew up. Her birth name, Shaolin Fon, and all bonds attached to it had been cast away as soon as she was of age to serve as the Shihouin Family Head's personal assassin; Soifon was her grandmother's old code name, passed on to Shaolin.

But once Soifon met Yoruichi, and really got to know her, it was clear that Yoruichi cared more about knowing and helping Shaolin, not Soifon. It was the first, and only time, in Soifon's life that she felt as if she had a family, even if it was just one woman that acted the part of a teasing big sister. And as awkward as it was for a girl-raised-as-servile-assassin to make sense out of it, she tried anyway, and found herself enjoying the strange byplay between herself and Yoruichi enough so that protecting Yoruichi no longer became a burden, but a point of pride. Her desire, her need to protect that single bond was why Soifon didn't approve of Urahara. His devious, carefree nature was always hiding something of himself from other people, and Soifon couldn't trust someone like that with Yoruichi—her mentor, her family, her sister in all but blood. When the incident with the "other captains" had occurred, resulting in the Hollowification of not only them but several lieutenants, the implication that Urahara had been involved was enough to convince Soifon that she had been right to distrust him.

Yet, Yoruichi choose that kind of person over her sisterhood with Soifon, and that betrayal cut deep and heavy.

You abandoned all you worked for and all you strove for, and left me to outdo you, Soifon thought, twisting her mouth into a snarl. And I did, but I can't ever forget all the things you accomplished before me, all the ways I had to work myself to the bone to surpass you! When I arrive in Karakura, it will be to defeat the Arrancar and completely crush any doubt that I have outgrown you, Yoruichi Shihouin!

* * *

In contrast to Soifon and Oomaeda's quarter of a conversation, Kyouraku and Nanao had a significantly longer discussion once they arrived back at the Eighth's barracks. As they dropped out of Flash Steps, Kyouraku took the lead, heading toward the red torii gate that let visitors into the division grounds proper, and Nanao began the conversation with a hesitant clearing of her throat.

"Captain Kyouraku. We need to talk."

Kyouraku stopped within arm's reach of the gate, then nodded and turned around, leaning slightly against one of the gate's pillars. "Of course, Nanao-chan."

Despite getting permission, Nanao kept her lips pursed for a few moments longer. Eventually, she closed her eyes. "I'm proud to say that I have done my due diligence as your lieutenant, sir," she said, adjusting her glasses. "However, I have not been in the field for a long time. To field me against such dangerous opponents, even in a non-leading capacity…."

Kyouraku nodded, still keeping a slight smile on his face. "It's a trial by fire, yes. And I know you're not exactly enthused about being volunteered, least of all because I sprung it on you." He adjusted his hat slightly, rolling his shoulders as he did. The action moved his hair to the side slightly, revealing a pair of flower pins stuck into his hair just near the scrunchie that kept his ponytail together; Nanao, her eyes now opened, saw them and tensed slightly, and Kyouraku noticed, his smile fading. "I didn't make this choice on a whim. You're not a child anymore, Nanao. It's my responsibility to see you grow into your potential. That means I have to challenge you to surpass your limitations, self-imposed and real."

Nanao's glare tightened. "That might be true, but I still deserve at least some consideration, Captain. You should have done something to give me an idea of what you were planning!"

Kyouraku had the grace to nod soberly at that. "I should have, yes. And I'm sorry for that. But you need to go. You need to understand for yourself what real conflict looks like, because some day us old folks won't be around anymore and it'll fall to you lot to be the leaders we need. The only way that transition will happen smoothly is if you take on greater challenges sooner rather than later."

Despite herself, Nanao nodded, seeing the sense in his statement, though she had to purse her lips instead of grinding her teeth in frustration like she normally might. Kyouraku was being uncharacteristically serious for once, and she couldn't help but respect that—that alone almost made her want to forgive the way he'd put her out to dry, so to speak.

However, she had to be sure of one last doubt nagging at her.

"Those are your professional feelings about the matter, yes," she said, adjusting her glasses again while mentally steeling herself for what she was about to say next. "But your personal ones are still a mystery to me...uncle."

Kyouraku's expression didn't change, and for a moment Nanao would have sworn that he was acting like he hadn't heard her. However, after a moment, he let out a sigh and took off his hat, letting it dangle limply from his right hand.

"Minus a lot of worry for my impetuous, headstrong niece, my personal feelings are largely the same as my professional ones, Nanao," he said, the teasing tone he normally used completely absent and reinforced by the lack of chan after her name. "You need to see the enemy with your own eyes, understand what they're capable of by meeting them face-to-face, so that you can figure out how to fight back, so that when someday, Soul King willing, you stand as a captain in your own right, you won't be overrun by any challenges the world throws at you. If Naoto were still alive, he would say the same."

The expression on Kyouraku's face grew heavier at mention of that name—his brother's name—and Nanao restrained the urge to bite her lip. Naoto Kyouraku and Kiyo Ise were not names that he spoke or invoked lightly—Naoto's death in the line of duty and Kiyo's subsequent illness orphaned Nanao and resulted in her entry into the Shino'u Academy for Soul Reapers, in part because of her noble Kyouraku blood, in part because of her potential, and in part because Kyouraku interceded to make sure that she made it somewhere that her talents could be cultivated. Nanao's subsequent placement in the Eighth Division after her graduation wasn't his doing, but when they first met, it didn't take long for Kyouraku to recognize her and eventually explain their relationship. It made things difficult at first, but eventually they found a rhythm that suited them, and neither Soul Reaper made mention of their family ties unless the situation warranted it—normally just Kyouraku semi-jokingly reminding Nanao to stop staying up late.

Well, if he meant it, then I've got no choice but to meet it head on and see just how far he's going to take this. "Rather dirty of you to play that card, uncle," she replied, folding her arms. "I can also imagine that Father would have you by the neck for volunteering me without consulting him."

That caused Kyouraku to chuckle, losing the grim cast over his face. "He likely would. You favor Kiyo much more in looks, but your temperament is almost all Naoto." The moment of levity didn't last, though, and he put his hat back on with a quiet sigh. "Honestly, Nanao...I've done you a disservice for so long. You do your due diligence in training, and you're not weak, but this is war we have coming to us, and you need to be ready. If you hate me for this choice, then that's fine, but I'm not changing my mind."

Nanao met his firm gaze and frown for a few moments longer before sighing and shaking her head. "Don't be a fool, Captain," she said, unfolding her arms. "Though you can be...an annoyance, sometimes, you've hardly earned any measure of permanent scorn on my part. And though I often imply otherwise, I know you don't make decisions without thinking them through at least a little bit." She looked up to the sky above, her lips pursed as she absently followed a bird flying overhead. Eventually, she focused back on him, her expression neutral as usual. "If I may be excused, I would like to prepare for departure, sir."

Her return to formal address was a silent signal of acceptance that Kyouraku recognized immediately. Quietly, he resolved to get the book he'd been planning to give her for Christmas a few weeks early, if he could.

"Go ahead, Nanao-chan," he replied, straightening up and putting the easy smile back on his face as if he'd never taken it off. "Wake me before you leave tomorrow, please?"

Nanao nodded, allowing a small smile to cross her face. "Yes, sir."

* * *

 **4:15 PM**

 **Karakura Town, Mitsumiya: Urahara Shop**

After the Arrancars' retreat, Ichigo and his friends returned to Urahara's shop. Tatsuki was broodingly silent the entire way back, walking at the head of the group and refusing to look at anyone; Orihime, biting a lip and looking downcast, followed behind. Ichigo, Yoruichi, and Chad brought up the rear, with Yoruichi serving as a diminutive living crutch for the much taller Ichigo; the foot he'd hit Yammy with had only started to hurt more as he tried walking on it, and the irritated scowl on his face wasn't just habit anymore but testament to how bad the injury was.

As they set foot in the empty lot, the rasping sound of straw sandals on concrete followed behind them; Ichigo and Yoruichi were the first to turn around, and upon seeing what—or rather, who—had been the cause, Ichigo allowed himself a brief smirk. "About time you showed up, Rukia, Abarai."

Two Soul Reapers stood in front of Ichigo and Yoruichi; the shorter of the two, Rukia Kuchiki, was a young woman with shoulder-length, glossy black hair, violet eyes, and pale skin. Her partner, Renji Abarai, was much taller, a bit more than Ichigo, with fire-red hair and a visor-like pair of goggles resting on his forehead, covering his tattooed eyebrows.

In response to Ichigo's smart remark, Rukia rolled her eyes and snorted, something she wouldn't have done around Ichigo when they first met. Despite the flippancy of the action, there was still a hint of worry in her voice when she spoke. "Better late than to be the fool that picked a fight with an Arrancar. I can feel the Hollowfied Spiritual Pressure on that leg from here."

"I'd call it less picking a fight and more stopping the fight from getting a friend killed," Ichigo replied, going back to a scowl. Tatsuki stopped, as if she'd heard the joke, but after a few moments she kept walking forward, practically stomping toward the front door of the Urahara Shop. "And even though we got that part right, there were some casualties."

The somber expression on his face wiped out the joking distaste on Rukia's as she watched Tatsuki shove the door open and go inside; Orihime glanced over her shoulder at Ichigo with a worried frown on her face, but when Ichigo nodded, she went in alongside Tatsuki.

Renji picked up the thread of conversation next. "How bad we talking?"

Yoruichi took over here. "There were some students practicing karate out there—it's quiet and 'close to nature', so the martial-arts types like to use it as a training ground. One of the Arrancar harvested all of their souls in one shot and probably reached a little into the city, too. Tatsuki was the only one that lived."

Rukia's frown became softer, more sympathetic, as she digested that information. Memories flew past her mind's eye in a flash—her body soaked by rain, a black-haired man smiling at her and embracing her as blood streamed from his mouth, that same blood running from the hole she put in his stomach with her Zanpakutou—and she suppressed them wordlessly to nod in understanding. "She'll need support. The guilt will eat at her if left unchecked."

Renji, being her oldest friend, noticed the minute hesitation caused by her brief flashback; Yoruichi, primarily through experience in observing body language, did as well, but neither commented on it. Instead, Renji turned to face Urahara's shop, while Yoruichi shifted slightly to better support Ichigo.

"Give us the whole briefing inside," Renji said. "We'll need to make a report to the Captain-General as soon as possible."

* * *

Urahara, Yoruichi, and their employees all lived in a set of rooms at the back of the shop; the group congregated in the living room, sitting around a low, rectangular table. Of Urahara's group, only the man himself, Yoruichi, and Tessai were present, sitting on one side of the table; Jinta, Ururu, and Kai were left to mind the shop outside, as they hadn't yet closed for the day. Opposite them sat Ichigo, Rukia, and the others; Rukia and Renji were together at one end, Tatsuki and Orihime the other, and Ichigo, Uryuu, and Chad sat together in the middle of the table.

Tatsuki's recounting of the events prior to Ichigo and the others arriving to save her was terse and to the point; the whole explanation took only three or four minutes, and the entire time, small spurts of flame raced up and down her hands, and her pupils would occasionally shift to a more catlike form before returning to normal. Orihime would occasionally rub Tatsuki's shoulder, and though she didn't ever look at Orihime when that happened, the tension slowly drained out of her shoulders.

Once she finished, Urahara nodded a few times, humming absently. "Well, for the most part you're all unscathed. Hardly a comfort in the face of innocent lives lost, I know, but if nothing else this means that we can now take a better measure of what we're up against. If Ichigo-kun and Sado-kun together can near-overtake one Arrancar, possibly one on the weaker side, I would say that against the rank and file, you all can almost hold your own. On the other hand, any of them on the level of that other one, the one that blocked Ichigo-kun's attacks...I'm afraid that none of you would be an even match for him."

He looked at Yoruichi, and she hummed for a moment, then nodded, picking up the train of thought. "I'd estimate that the bigger one, Yammy, was about the strength of a seated officer, maybe a bit weaker once that 'Hierro' of his was broken. The other one….he felt like a captain, but that's just what I sensed. His real strength could be much greater than that." She studied her nails for a moment, then swept her gaze across the table. "As I am now, about halfway back into shape...I'd say I might be able to match him for a few minutes. It would depend on how 'Hierro' works—we can certainly assume some sort of protective hardening from the context, and it seems like enough force can pierce it, but is it possible for it to vary between Arrancar? Is it a skill that Hollows might be able to learn?"

Everyone shuddered at the thought, save for Chad, who seemed thoughtful instead. Rukia spoke next, shaking her head. "Now the next question is what they were really after. I'd wager it has to do with the Hougyoku, but why only send the two of them? Unless that pale one was much stronger than appearances suggested, I doubt they could have fought off Urahara-san and Shihouin-san working together."

"If I had to guess, it was just a scouting mission," Urahara said, adjusting his hat. "To gain an assessment of our total fighting power, he used those two Arrancar as bait. If nothing else, he has the measure of Ichigo-kun, Arizawa-san, and Sado-kun, and maybe even Yoruichi, though she at least didn't use Souboukon so we still have that advantage." A small smile crept across his face. "It seems that you'll have to throw off those estimations. More training for everyone. Much more."

Orihime bit her lip, idly fingering one of her hairpins. Each one had six "petals" on it; when she activated her powers, two of each would break off to form the fairies that represented her powers, the Shun Shun Rikka. The one she touched, however, had only four points, with the other two missing.

Seeing the gesture, Yoruichi hummed. "Have you tried restoring Tsubaki yet, Orihime-chan?"

Orihime jumped at being addressed, but recovered after a moment, and shook her head. "I haven't, but…I've been feeling a lot of Hollow energy in my hairpin. It's still lingering, and it's harder for me to work with spiritual energy that isn't mine."

Urahara hummed, adjusting his hat. "Well, that could be a problem. How about you try it out on Ichigo-kun and see if you can get that leg of his back to normal. I'll hook up a few monitors, and we can make a study out of it, see if these Arrancar have any other nasty surprises for us."

Orihime nodded and stood up, as did Yoruichi, to move Ichigo somewhere else to be healed. Uryuu and Tatsuki eventually rose as well, figuring that the conversation was officially over for the time being. Only Chad lingered, studying his right hand with a frown before turning to Urahara.

"Urahara-san. My right arm...it's been feeling strange since I helped Ichigo against the Arrancar. It feels like it's bursting with energy, as if it's agitated. It doesn't feel like I'm losing control, but….something's happening."

That made Urahara stop in his tracks and turn to look at Chad with an inquisitive noise. "Well, if that's the case, let's test you as well. We need whatever information we can get at this stage. Would you prefer it done privately or not?"

Chad nodded. "If it's nothing, it's nothing. If it becomes more serious...then I'll tell the others."

With that, he stood up, and Urahara regarded him with a thoughtful frown, then nodded as well, and led him away from where Yoruichi and the others had gone.

* * *

 **Tuesday, September 10th, 9:30 AM**

 **Karakura Town, Gakuenchou: Karakura High School, Class 1-3**

As Ichigo walked into class the next morning, he let out a sigh of relief, absently rubbing his hand on the right leg of his black school slacks. Though it had taken some time, Orihime ultimately managed to cleanse the Hollowfied Spiritual Energy around Ichigo's leg. Despite that success, her attempts to restore Tsubaki didn't follow suit; in her own words, it was as if "she couldn't reach him".

Rukia and Renji had gone back to Soul Society once Ichigo's leg was back to normal, opting to deliver their reports to the Gotei in person.

After taking his seat, he looked around, taking a mental-headcount of who was present. Tatsuki, to his surprise, had shown up, but her face was set in a hard scowl that matched his own. Orihime was in her seat too, but seemed lost in thought. Uryuu was reading a book, and Chad was staring out the window, his head propped up by one massive hand. Though their Spiritual Energies were restrained by the white armbands that they were wearing, Ichigo could sense their feelings somewhat—Tatsuki was still a fountain of muted rage with the barest sadness at the core, while Orihime and Uryuu were worried about something. Chad was the only person with a semblance of sincere calm, and even that was tinged with a hint of concern.

The rest of the class seemed fairly subdued also; Keigo Asano, a loudmouthed brunet in Ichigo's circle of friends, was watching Orihime with a concerned frown and unusual seriousness, as was Mizuiro Kojima, a slight boy with black hair. A few seats were empty, and Ichigo tried to recall if any of them might have belonged to any Karate Club students, but his memory failed him and he shook his head in annoyance.

 _This is all a mess,_ he thought, leaning back in his seat and running a hand through his hair. _Tsubaki's broken, Tatsuki's pissed off, and we have no idea when the Arrancar are gonna move next. What a pain in the ass…._

The classroom door slid open, and Ichigo turned his head just in time to see a flash of red hair enter the room; it belonged to one of Orihime and Tatsuki's friends, a girl named Chizuru Honshou. Immediately, Chizuru's green eyes, hidden behind a pair of red-rimmed glasses, locked in on Orihime, and Ichigo suppressed a sigh.

"Now, Hime-chan, darling, why so glum?" Chizuru said, loudly enough to draw everyone else's attention to her. "I can't bear to see such a sad expression on your face. Won't you tell your darling Chizuru what's wrong?"

Orihime blinked and looked Chizuru's way as the red-headed girl began snaking through the desks to get to her. "Eh? Chizuru-chan…."

The moment Chizuru was within arm's reach (and groping reach), though, Ichigo felt a spike of irritation from Tatsuki, and in the blink of an eye Tatsuki was between Chizuru and Orihime. Despite himself, Ichigo let out a quiet snort. Tatsuki had tapped some fraction of her Spiritual Energy and expelled it as Spiritual Pressure to speed herself up, proof that she'd been learning how to perform Flash Steps from Yoruichi.

Without missing a beat, Tatsuki grabbed Chizuru's hand, spun around, and released it, flinging her back toward the door. "Back off, perv! No one's in the mood for your crap today!"

At that moment, someone short with a bob of black hair passed in front of the classroom door. Chizuru was on the perfect trajectory to strike them down, and would have, but the newcomer let out an annoyed sigh, raised her hand, and let Chizuru crash into it face-first. As that person walked by, Ichigo felt a chill run down his spine as familiar Spiritual Energies rolled over him—seven of them, in fact.

Though everyone saw this spectacle, only Ichigo, Orihime, Tatsuki, Uryuu, and Chad went almost completely pale at the sight of the person that caught Chizuru.

Shaking her head, causing her braid rings to jangle slightly, Soifon flicked her hand, leaving Chizuru to flop on the ground just beside the door. She wore the standard Karakura High girls uniform just like all the other girls in the classroom—a white polo shirt with a red ribbon and a golden brooch, as well as a black skirt, black knee-high socks, and brown loafers.

Moments later, Renji, Rukia, Nanao, Nemu, Yumichika, and Ikkaku all appeared in the doorway behind her, also dressed for school. Renji, however, had swapped his visor for a white cloth wrapped around his head, which exposed some of the tattoo work he'd gotten done from his eyebrows going up to his widow's-peaked hairline, and Ikkaku had a bokken shoved into his belt.

"A fine first day of school, I suppose," Soifon said, as casually as if she hadn't just stopped a flying human being with the palm of her hand and barely any force. She looked over to Ichigo and raised an eyebrow at his gobsmacked expression. "At least we know we've got the right classroom. Good morning, Kurosaki."

"G-Good morning," Ichigo stammered out. He'd nearly appended _Captain Soifon_ to his greeting, but the part of him that hadn't completely broken by the rapid appearance of a veritable gang of Soul Reapers managed to seize hold of his tongue and stop him. "Um, it's good that you didn't get lost. Is everything OK?"

"Yes, everything's quite fine," she replied. She turned to the others. "Kuchiki, Abarai, and I are fine from here. Go."

The other students in class 1-3 eventually regained their wits and began to mumble about the newcomers. Though Ichigo wasn't paying much mind, he did hear someone say something about Renji's tattoos, and several mentions of someone "bald", more than likely Ikkaku.

Unfortunately, Ikkaku heard the conversations too, and with a menacing leer, he drew his wooden sword, baring his teeth in a poor approximation of a smile. "Hey, three of you that just said bald. C'mere. Lemme talk to ya for a bit about how _rude_ you little shits are being right now…."

Soifon rolled her eyes and immediately reinforced her earlier command by pushing Ikkaku's hand down and pushing him out of the room. Yumichika chuckled and followed without any further prodding from Soifon, as did Nemu and Nanao, leaving Rukia, Renji, and Soifon to walk into the classroom with casual ease and take some of the unoccupied seats.

Shortly after that, Ichigo's homeroom teacher, Misato Ochi, walked in, stepping over a moaning Chizuru with an ease born of practice. "Good morning, everyone!" She adjusted the neck of her tracksuit as she swept her eyes over the classroom, picking out Renji, Rukia, and Soifon almost immediately. "Oh, the new students are here! Perfect, how about you all introduce yourselves before we get started today?"

The "new students" nodded and made their way to the front of the classroom while Ms. Ochi grabbed Chizuru by the collar and pulled the half-conscious girl to a desk before sitting her upright in it. After Chizuru was as secure as she could be given the circumstances, Ms. Ochi went to her own desk and stood, watching Soifon as she took up a piece of chalk and wrote the kanji for her name on the board with crisp, precise strokes.

"My name is Shaolin Fon," she said, the sternness fading from her face slightly as she surveyed the class. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Renji and Rukia followed suit, with Rukia going first and introducing herself with a bright smile; Renji settled for a cocky smirk and a wave. With that done, they went to their seats, and Ryou Kunieda, the black-haired class representative, stood up next.

"Stand!" she barked.

As Ichigo and the rest of the class complied, his brain started to swirl with thoughts. _What the heck are they doing here? And how the hell did Ms. Ochi know that they were going to be here? This is so goddamn weird even for Soul Society, I don't get what's going on at all…._

"Bow!"

 _I mean, aside from Ikkaku nearly killing those people that called him bald they're not doing too bad of a job blending in, but why send them to my school? I seriously don't get it._

"Sit!"

Unable to think of a good answer, Ichigo groaned and threw himself into his chair. _To hell with it. I'll just ask them at lunch._

And with that began the second-longest day of Ichigo Kurosaki's life.

* * *

 **END OF CLASS**

* * *

 _Teacher's Notes:_

 _So this took way longer than I was expecting. Mostly I got stuck on setting up a lot of foreshadowing and trying to make sure I covered a lot of the salient plot points. I wanted to push it a little further, but I've kept you all waiting long enough, so I decided to publish it as is._

 _One of those bits of selective canon I talked about last time appeared in the middle of the chapter, namely how Nanao and Kyouraku are related. I kind of liked where Kubo wound up going with that, and it doesn't really clash with the Substitute School canon, so I kept it, and took the liberty of naming Kyouraku's brother and Nanao's mother on my own. Any bits of ship tease that persisted after we learned the truth about Nanao and Kyouraku's relationship don't apply, though. Considering that I kept everyone waiting so long for this chapter, I'll push a little more into spoiler territory here: Nanao's zanpakutou isn't what it is in canon, and though she's out of practice, she's not totally helpless either._

 _I also changed around the advance team to try and do a little more character building with some of the members of the cast that I started leaning on in First Semester. The composition was always planned to be something like what you see here; Yumichika and Ikkaku are here mostly because I like those two and because Ikkaku's interactions with the Asano family are comedy gold, while I have some plans for Nemu and especially Soifon._

 _At reader request, I've included a recap chapter with today's upload and re-sorted the story accordingly. It's super-short but it should have all the salient points for those that need a refresher for First Semester._

 _If anyone's worried about the Visored not getting any air time, I promise, they're here. We won't be seeing them for a little while yet, but they still matter—I just have to introduce them along a new vector, as it were._

 _Cultural Notes and Translations:_

 _Bokken: a hardwood wooden sword, essentially a chunk of wood cut to look like a katana. If you've ever read Ranma ½, Tatewaki Kunou uses one of these._

 _Student Review Corner:_

 _Since this question has come up in reviews a lot, I'll answer it here: in this story, Ichigo has not had access to Rukia's powers since he awoke Zangetsu during his fight with Grand Fisher. The moment he did that, he fully came into his own power as a Soul Reaper. (And I do mean fully. I'm not really keen on the whole NEVER YOUR TRUE POWER switcharoo that kept happening in Bleach, though I will give Kubo credit where it's due, he did set up a lot of those points pretty well in advance and I never noticed them.)_

 _Things are getting kind of crazy for the next few weeks IRL, and I have another chapter of Stand + Vampire way overdue, so I'm not going to make promises about when the next chapter of Substitute School will roll around—but it shouldn't be a whole ten months again. I do appreciate all the people PMing me to check if I was alive, and thank you for not swarming me with UPDATE PLS requests; they usually make me feel guilty about not updating, but not in an actually productive way._

 _Until next time. Enjoy!_

 _~ZS_


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